Divestment

Divestment has become a trillion-dollar topic in recent years – boycotting companies considered harmful has never been more popular: Israeli exporters, arms makers, and fossil fuel producers, among others.

Across the world more than 800 institutions, with total investments valued at $6tn, have committed to divest from fossil fuels.

But where do investors put their money instead? Are companies that benefit thriving? In short, is ethical investing making a difference?

Definitions of this sector vary, as do monikers – ethical, environmental, sustainable. But they can be broadly categorised as “socially responsible investment”, or SRI.

Among the many estimates of the power of private investment, the most plausible is that this kind of investment jumped to 10% of private funds under management in recent years, after slumming along at long-term levels of below 4%.

Read more